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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. land — to come down
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. land — a country
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rush — hurry
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. stand — to bear
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. toast — bread
  17. land — ground
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — a container
  22. press — newspapers
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pound — a weight

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com